Island Sounds
More from the late Israel Kamakawiwo'ole on CD

By Wayne Harada
Advertiser Entertainment Editor

"ALONE IN IZ WORLD" by Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, Big Boy Record Company/Mountain Apple Co. BBCD 5907

But this is as much a Jon de Mello production as it is an Iz excursion. For it was de Mello's foresight in recording so much of Kamakawiwo'ole's time in the studio, and his wisdom in selecting from the many hours of tape that brings this Iz to life. Simply put, de Mello is the wizard of Iz.

Among the offerings here are new versions of familiar songs, some enhanced with electronic tweaking, some "unplugged," give them a pure, raw and very personal appeal.

If you thirst for more Iz, this one will quench that appetite. And it's destined to soar out of the record stores, finding its way into many Christmas stockings (if anyone can wait that long).

A couple of tunes are already signatures but bring new joy and meaning. "Over the Rainbow," for example, has endeared a legion of fans but when performed without the tag-on "What a Wonderful World," yields new brilliance and magnifies the sweetness of this gentle giant, right down to that unexpectedly abrupt wind-up. "In This Life," which was a powerhouse after his death, is a specimen of Iz's wide reach and power, adopting a Western love song and converting it into a thoroughly Hawaiian entity.

It's hard to resist Iz's untainted rendering of "Hi'ilawe," accented by the supremely skilled fingers of guitarist Barry Flanagan, formerly of Hapa. Or the playful "Henehene Kou 'Aka," which evokes visions of auntie dancing in the back yard (and notice his kolohe manner midway through the song and that impromptu fade-out word play, capped by his self review — "eh, good fun").

One of the new discoveries is a studio version of "Ahiu Wela/Twinkle Twinkle Little Star," which marks a rare instance of Iz performing harmony with himself, entwining a Hawaiian gemstone with a nursery rhyme lyric. The "duet" resulted when Iz was listening to a playback of the song and started harmonizing.

"Starting All Over Again" likely will evoke chills for anyone who knows even the broad outlines of Iz's troubled and yet magically touched life. The prologue reflects his feelings about life and death; the song is inspirational, about the difficulty of re-establishing yourself after a fall, and about the need to get back on track.